Fat Friday #19 Hazelnut Cake with Pistachio Ice-Cream & Cream Toasted Almond Cream

December. You know what that means right? Its shopping time! Lucky enough for me, I've finished all my Christmas shopping now which is a big relief. In the next couple of weeks there will be a some Christmas recipes coming up soon. Maybe on Fat Friday or who knows. Its my most busy time of year but I hope your not too busy enough to make this restaurant dessert.

Its a nut themed dessert with a sweet hazelnut cake, savoury pistachio ice cream and a luxury almond cream. Its a fairly simple dessert which takes minimal effort with maximum 'wow' reaction at all that 'effort'.

Recipe: Makes 8 servings 

Cake:

·       225g ground hazelnuts, sieved

·       50g plain flour, sieved

·       1 teaspoon baking, sieved

·       3 eggs

·       200g castor sugar

·       200g butter, melted and cooled

·       Juice of 1 lemon

Pistachio ice-cream:

·       200g pistachio’s

·       300ml milk

·       7g milk powder

·       200ml double cream

·       6 egg yolks

·       60g castor sugar

·       10ml glucose

Toasted almond cream:

·       700ml double cream

·       100ml milk

·       75g toasted sliced almonds

·       110g sugar

·       3 gelatine leaves

Equipment:

·       Mixing bowl x 2

·       Sieve

·       Saucepan x 3

·       23 inch cake tin lined with silicone paper

·       Baking sheet

·       Whisk

·       Fine sieve

·       Ice cream machine

·       Small bowl

·       Small mould

·       Liquidizer

·       Sugar thermometer

For the pistachio ice cream:

1.    Bake pistachios in an oven 170c/Gas Mark 3/ 325f for a few minutes to release some of the nuts oils.

2.    Place the milk, milk powder, and cream into a pan. Bring gently to the boil, add the pistachios. Wait until cooled and then liquidize until smooth.

3.    Return to the plan and bring back to the boil.

4.    Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, glucose and sugar.

5. Pour half the pistachio mix into the eggs, whisking constantly.

6.    Return the pan to the heat. Heat to 84c using a sugar thermometer.

7.    Strain immediately through a fine sieve and cool.

8.    Place into an ice cream machine.

For the cake:

1.    Pre-heat oven to 170c/Gas Mark 3/ 325f.

2.    Melt the butter in a pan and allow to cool before using.

3.    Mix the ground hazelnuts, flour and baking powder together.

4.    Whisk the eggs and sugar together until pale, then slowly whisk in the melted butter.

5.    Fold in the hazelnut mixture followed by the lemon juice.

6.    Pour the mixture into the lined cake tine and bake for 40 minutes.

7.    Remove from oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.

For the Almond cream

1.    Toast the almonds like the pistachios as above. Put cream, milk, almonds and sugar into a pan and bring to the boil.

2.    Remove and infuse the almonds for 40 minutes.
3.    Place the gelatine in cold water until gooey.
4.    Bring the cream mixture back to the boil and remove again from the heat.
5.    Add the gelatine and sieve to remove the almonds.
6.    Pour into small moulds of your choice and set for 4 hours.

To complete:

1.    Cut the cake into 8 pieces.
2.    Dip the mould into a little hot water to realise the almond cream.
3.    Scoop a little of the ice cream on top of the cake.  

Are you nuts over this dessert? Would you order it at a restaurant?

Fat Friday #11 Sweetcorn Cream Dessert with a Caramel Ice-Cream and Popcorn Brittle

Week 11, who have thought it? This weeks Fat Friday is quite an unusual dessert. Its a sweetcorn cream which is almost like a pannacotta like dessert. Its based on gastronomy type of thinking and its got an interesting taste. Want to try it yourself? The recipe is below!

 Recipe: Makes 4 (plus extra ice cream and popcorn brittle) (Recipe kindly provided by my pastry tutor)

For the Caramel Popcorn Ice-cream

• 50ml sunflower oil
• 30g pop corn kernels
• 300ml milk
• 200ml double cream
• 5 egg yolks
• 75g sugar
• 2 teaspoons of liquid glucose
• 30g unsalted butter
• Salt

For the sweetcorn cream

• 400g sweetcorn, cooked and cut from the cob
• 400ml milk
• 250ml double cream
• 4 egg yolks
• 50g sugar
• 2 ½ leaves of gelatine

Popcorn Brittle

• 200g sugar
• 25ml water
• 100g double cream
• 100g butter
• 300g freshly popped pop corn

Equipment:

• Saucepan with a lid
• Sieve
• Whisk
• Bowl x 3
• Sugar thermometer
• Ice cream machine
• Knife
• Baking sheet lined with 4 Chef circle moulds lined with cling film at the bottom
• Blender
• Silicone matt

For the ice cream

1. Heat the oil in a pan and add the popcorn. When it starts popping shake the saucepan constantly until the kernels are cooked. 

2. Place the milk, cream and popcorn in a pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Gently bring to the boil again. Take off the heat and leave to infuse for 2 hours.
3. Strain through a sieve, pushing hard to get most of the liquid goes through. Bring to a boil again.
4. Whisk the eggs, sugar and glucose until pale and creamy. Pour half the popcorn liquid onto the eggs whisking to combine. Pour this back into the saucepan.
5. Stir the liquid until it reaches 84c on the sugar thermometer, whisk in the butter, salt and strain through a sieve. Leave to cool and place in an ice cream machine.

For the sweetcorn cream

1. Place the sweetcorn, milk and cream in a large pan and bring to the boil.
2. Simmer for 3 minutes then transfer to a blender and liquidize. 3. Soak the gelatine in cold water.
4.Whisk the yolks and sugar until pale. 5. Add half of the liquidized sweetcorn to the creamed yolks and whisk until combined.
6. Return the mixture to the saucepan and heat for about 1 minute. Meanwhile squeeze the water out of the gelatine.
7. Remove from the heat, add the gelatine and mix.
8. Pass through a fine sieve into a bowl. Allow to rest to allow the bubbles to rise.
9.  Put in the moulds and refrigerate until set.

Popcorn Brittle

1. Put the water and sugar in a pan, allow to boil until the colour changes from clear to a golden brown. Don’t be tempted to stir.
2. Mix in the popcorn to evenly coat.
3. Tip onto a silicone matt and allow the brittle to set.
4. When set break up into small pieces. Store in an airtight container.

To serve:

1. Carefully unmold the sweetcorn cream onto a plate. 2. Arrange the popcorn around the sweetcorn cream.
3. Drizzle the caramel artfully and scoop a little of the caramel ice cream on the top.

Have a great weekend! Happy Baking!